


reaching

by cloudnine



Category: Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-05
Updated: 2016-03-05
Packaged: 2018-05-24 11:57:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6152929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloudnine/pseuds/cloudnine





	reaching

What a waste of their time. He should have never accepted this invitation.

He and Lucius had found work with a band of mercenaries, they were much appreciated for their abilities and experience which led to the client inviting them to a feast happening in a neighboring kingdom. Raven would have refused easily but Lucius insisted this might help them meet important people and get better jobs. 

He could never say no to him.

"We should buy some newer clothing for this event, we will not fit with the crowd with these on." He says pointing at his overly used dress. Raven never cared for appearances, what does he care if those royals see him and find him repulsive. It was their problem. 

Their client generously gifted them with finer robes and garments so they could blend in with the crowd. 

Lucius thought this was a stupidity, to him Raven would look like a noble no matter what he wore. He didn't voice his concerns though.

The night of the feast they arrive with the men who had been part of the mission. They had been also equally invited but Lucius and Raven stood out among them as the youngest and most elegant even without the flare the others had. As the night went by people couldn't keep their eyes off them and it clearly made Raven uncomfortable.

As Lucius converses with some of the other mercenaries that had helped them he scowls and rejects anyone's advances to talk to him. He did not care for parties or feasts, his eyes were set on Lucius and watching him enjoy himself for at least some time. He needed to unwind a bit.

Even so, he did not like the looks the men and women send him.

Everyone but Lucius himself knew how beautiful he was. Even among people of noble birth Lucius stood out as an angel having just descended from the skies.

Raven enjoyed watching Lucius, seeing him smile, frown, cry. He did not enjoy other people looking at him.

Men and women of noble birth seemed to get close to him to try and start a conversation. Lucius being ever polite let them and gifted them with his beautiful smile. Raven felt like grabbing his sword and pushing all of those people away from him.

A man with a thick mustache appears besides Lucius. He looks disgusting and is obviously filthy rich, Raven thinks.

"My, who might you be?" The man grabs Lucius's hand and leans to place a kiss on it. Lucius's eyes go wide in shock and Raven moves in to stop the man from going even further.

"What a stunning person you are, tell me, would you like to join my services?"

Lucius, still shocked by the proposal stays still until Raven appears before them and yanks the man's hands off.

"He's not joining anyone. He's with me."

"Lord Raymond!"

The man makes an even more distasteful face. "There's no need for hostilities, he doesn't belong to anyone and is a free soul, aren't you?"

"Well yes, but-"

The man jerks when Raven points a finger to his chest. "Nice words coming from a man who wanted to take him for himself."

Lucius grabs his arm. "Lord Raymond, that's enough."

He stops when Lucius tells him to and moves away from the crowding people. Lucius apologizes to the man for Raven's attitude and proceeds to converse with him.

Not much time passes that Lucius walks to stand by his side. He could never get too far away from him, especially when he knew Raven was brooding. He always was.

"What is it, Lord Raymond? You seem ill..."

The red head scoffs at the man's innocence. "It is not I who will end up ill."

The blonde man gives him a worried look, like those he used to give him long ago when they were younger. 

"Lord Raymond! You promised you wouldn't unnecessary hurt people! I told you this was our chance to get better work."

"Tsk. You will never cease to criticize me." He sees Lucius's mouth open in defiance. "As always you are the only person who can give me control. Do what you must."

His mouth promptly closes after that and he stays quiet. They stick together leaning on the wall watching the festivities go on, Raven looking at the mustached man completely forget about Lucius and ask a dainty woman to dance. 

Raven observed these nobles, these royals who laughed at the silliest thing as hypocrites would, they held no worries in the world but losing their riches. 

To think he was raised as one, and now he loathed them. 

He glances at Lucius whose eyes are stuck to the people dancing. So much time has passed and his hair keeps getting longer. He helps him cut his bangs when they get too long and Lucius always ends up looking better than before. He still held his youthfulness and not much people would believe he was older than Raven.

The blonde man finally seems to notice Raven is staring at him and their eyes meet. The nod of acknowledgement they give each other is only something people who have been together for so much time can do. They spoke no words as they left the party and exited into the plain outdoors. 

"It is a beautiful night, Lord Raymond." Is the first  thing he says when they are out and hit by the moon's shining force. 

"We've seen the stars in so many places but they always look differently no matter where we are."

Raven never understood Lucius's fascination with the sky but he lets him be to be able to see his glowing eyes as he points to Raven the names of different constellations.

"I tire. Let us return to the base."

"By ourselves?"

The man doesn't answer him and Lucius should be used to it but he never will. Still so stoic.

"We should at least wait until the feast is over." He comments following the man. 

Raven scoffs. "Why? We don't need them to guide us back."

"But we're supposed to be a team!"

"Team!?" Raymond turns to him and they both know they are going to start one of their fights. "We aren't in their _team_ , we did the job and now we just need to rest in their base for one night and then leave. Simple as that. I'd expected you already knew these things."

"You think me an idiot, still? Even after all these years you never take my statements to face value!"

"Lucius, this is not the time."

"It's never the time for you! You shouldn't be here discussing with me, you should also be in there enjoying yourself! Why don't you ever let yourself enjoy anything?"

Raven felt the exasperation but he felt the same way. He steps closer to Lucius.

Team? Those men were mocking him, staring at him, thinking vile things about him and there he stood with his blue confident eyes ever angry at Raven for wanting to have no relation to anyone.

"All this time together and you still don't get that you're the only person I need? I wish I hadn't tied my fate to such a naive man."

Lucius's eyes soften like he had come to a realization. 

Raven feels the man step closer to him and they stare at each other for what seems like eternity until Lucius starts walking to the direction of the base.

"So now you listen to me?"

They walk side by side to the base until Lucius stops in his tracks. Raven gives him a curious glance.

"Raymond I-" He stutters, holding his hands together. "I'm sorry for always ignoring your feelings."

The red haired man stays quiet, unfazed by those words.

"I've always cared about you more as my dearest friend but I never realized that..." His tragic eyes lock with Raven's. "I never took in account that you saw me as more than a friend."

Raven sighs, closing his eyes. He continues to walk and Lucius follows. "I hadn't realized either."

Lucius's stays quiet as he listens to his words.

"You've always been dense." 

"How can you say that now?"

Raven laughs and Lucius takes in the sound he hasn't heard in years. "Because you didn't realize the men in the feast were smitten by you."

Lucius's eyes go wide and he looks away. Was he really _that_ naive? 

Raven's face grimaces again. "I hate seeing people look at you for your looks. They know next to knowing about you and yet, they're convinced that they're infatuated by you."

His friend turns his head to him and Lucius notices the sadness and anger stored in his eyes.

"It makes me angry."

Is this how Raven has felt for a long time? Why hadn't he ever told him? He feels like an idiot, he never was good with romance. But this was different. This was Raven.

"You feel jealousy towards these strangers? Raymond, they know nothing about me like you said. They're no competition to you."

He sees Raven hands ball up into fists. "Is it not normal to feel like this towards the person you love?"

Love. He's never outright stated that he loves him. They were as close as two people could be but this was the first time Raven directed those words to him. 

They finally reach the base after some time of walking quietly besides each other. Lucius wasn't sure what he could say, and Raven was usually silent.

The empty fort feels hollow without the laughter of the mercenary men. Lucius enjoys the silence though, and he's sure Raven wished every night could be this quiet. Just one more night and then they would leave to find other work. 

Lucius prepares the beds but he makes sure that Raven doesn't go to sleep without conversing with him about before. 

He finds the man sitting and polishing his sword. The blonde man, having already taken of his garbs for the feast sits next to him and watches him.

"What is it?"

He's used to Raven's hostile nature, especially because he knows he is the person he's least hostile around. 

"Lord Raymond-"

He jerks when he hears the sword clank against his fist. 

"Haven't I told you numerous times to stop calling me that. I am not a lord. I am not Raymond."

They have had this discussion so many times it's hard for Lucius to keep count, but he does not feel like fighting with him again. " _Raven._.."

"I know you might not want to discuss this further but I must know, especially know that we're alone." 

Raven scoffs at that, they're  _always_ alone. If it where any other way Raven wouldn't take it. He wouldn't have it any other way. 

"I've always thought that you would meet a noble women and marry her, thus regaining your noble status." He passes his fingers through his hair as Raven's feels the sword.

He hears Lucius take a deep breathe. "I cannot marry, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't. I don't want you to waste your life chasing after some impossible dream. You should enjoy the moments you have."

Raven rolls his eyes. Dense, Lucius was too dense and he's always hated it. He practically confessed to him moments before and he still did not understand. Even after he's never been looked at a girl, never talked about marriage. Never done anything that didn't involve Lucius in his life. 

"Lucius, you are a fool.

Lucius looks at him appalled. "Again with this!?"

Raven pushes his sword away and looks at Lucius seriously. "I don't want to marry some women when I already have you. You're enough for me, you give me everything I need. You give me self control and make me happy."

The blonde monk's eyes go wide and he looks away from him. His hands are on his cheeks and he knows his face is red. Being confessed to, that's something that has happened to him a lot. But not by Raven, his Lord Raymond.

"I do not care about marriage, or status or anything of those things. I want to have a peaceful life with you by my side. Nobody else."

It hasn't been long since the war ended and they decided to leave everyone they knew for a normal life together. Lucius loved him, but he never understood that those feelings he held for Raven could be romantic. He never considered it, he thought marriage was the only way to live for two people who loved each other. He knew nothing. 

"I've always thought you felt the same way and that's why you followed me. We're already a family, marriage is unnecessary and for static people. We're not people who will ever settle down."

"Why not?"

Raven gives him a questionable look like he's not sure what he means and Lucius continues, having already controlled his emotions and feeling that for once in his life he knew what he wanted.

"We don't have to live the rest of our lives as mercenaries, we can settle down and live in a quiet village where no one would bother us."

"I'd never thought I'd hear you say things like that."

Lucius smiles at him. "I believe I just...never thought about the possibility of us being together in a romantic sense. I mean, not much would change."

Raven smiles at back and Lucius feels his chest ache because  _it_ is kind of different, at least to him. 

"Nothing would change. Being lovers doesn't mean we'll stop being friends. Everyone who saw us probably already thought we were an item."

Lucius feels his cheeks burn again. "I guess we always were, but this is the first time we're talking about this seriously."

"To me," Raven grabs his sword and sheathes it. "We made a pact long ago to stay together. It's not much different from marriage."

His once lord extends his hand to his and he grabs it, feeling himself smile again. It's been so long since he felt this way, and seeing Raven smiling is so serene and calming, all of his worries melt away. Maybe the feast really had been a good idea.

"I hope your not implying that I'm the wife."

Raven shakes his head seriously. "Of course not, your Lucius, my friend, my comrade, my lover, my reason for living." 

This is the Raymond he missed, but it's not exactly like him. He's an adult now, he's gone through horrible tragedies, he as well. This is Raven, and he loves him even more.

Raven leans down and places a kiss on Lucius's knuckles, leaving his mark and overwriting the noble man's. 

"We'll make this work. We always have."

 


End file.
